


Do it for the gram

by mybffbatman



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Getting Together, M/M, Steve Rogers gets Instagram, Technology, Tony Stark is in love, established relationship kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-22 16:45:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22719100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mybffbatman/pseuds/mybffbatman
Summary: "Come on." Steve had said to Sam. "Just kiss me, it will be fine!"Sam had nearly choked on his own spit. "Cap, I like you and all but I don't like you like that-""Shut up Sam, it's for Instagram!"
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 10
Kudos: 266





	Do it for the gram

**Author's Note:**

> This was just something silly I was thinking about and it just came out like this, all in a sort of rush. Un-Beta'd, forgiveness for errors.

Steve sighs and scratches at his forehead. He's struggling to comprehend how he ended up here. Wondering how any of this mattered in the grand scheme of his life.

Sure this century seemed a bit caught up in its technology, everyone was always stuck to their phones, but Steve couldn't fault any of them for that. None of it existed when he was born, at least not in the forms it was available now. So sure, technology ruled everything around him, but how that had anything to do with his everyday life confused him. 

Yet still, here he sat across from Maria Hill and Pepper Potts, both looking at him expectantly, both waiting for him to agree with them. Both waiting for Steve to cave.

"Look, Steve." Maria started, shifting in her plush leather office chair. "All we're asking, is for you to get something, just, _any_ kind of online presence."

Pepper must have noticed the way Steve looked even more confused at that statement and explained. "The public isn't sure what to make of any of you. To them, you guys are mysteries. Having a social media presence gives them a peek into your real life, it lets the public see that you are just like them."

"But I'm not." Steve replied, because he wasn't even from this century, and he fought mad scientists, robots, aliens, and literal creatures from nightmares for a living. He was not _just lik_ e the general population. 

"It makes them more comfortable around you." Maria added quickly. "We're not asking you to post every second of your every day, we just want you to show glimpses into your life, just enough to get people to like you."

"Like me?" Steve cut in, genuinely concerned.

"The research shows us that you're one of the most respected Avengers, Steve." Pepper breaks to him softly. "It's just, you're also the one they're most put off by, they think you're out of touch."

"Okay, that's not fair." Steve argues, although somewhat lamely. "They do realize I was born in the twenties right? I'm supposed to be out of touch, at least a little, right?"

Maria and Pepper share a look and then Maria is rolling her eyes and Pepper is shifting her weight from one high heeled foot to the other. 

"Steve." Pepper's voice is soft, and Steve immediately clocks it as the one she uses on Tony when he's in a particularly desperate need of sleep, or food, or general babying. "You have to help us out here, we're just trying to make you more relatable It's not just for your sake, it's for the whole team."

"You're telling me, that everyone else has a social... Thing, except for me?" Steve can't believe this. He just, can't, even in a world ruled by being connected.

"Tony has a Facebook, Twitter and an Instagram, all very successful. He has over a million followers on each platform." Pepper answers quickly, like it's common knowledge. And Steve will give her that one, of course Tony has one - or three.

"Clint has the same." Maria adds with a shoulder shrug. "He also occasionally logs onto Reddit and does AMA's, the fans love it, they're always a big hit." She levels a stern look at Steve before continuing, as if begging him to challenge her. "Thor's Facebook page, though a bit of a mess lately with his new obsession with Meme's also has a large following."

"Bruce?" Steve finds himself asking, looking for one more hold out.

"His Instagram has nearly a million followers." Pepper says plainly, before looking at Maria. "Did you see that picture he posted with the Hulk face in the tea leaves? Brilliant."

"He got more likes than he has followers." Maria replied, before her dark eyes fall back onto Steve.

"Alright I get it." Steve groans. "But you can't tell me Natasha.." he draws out her name and instantly notices Maria's eyebrows raise, and a smirk finds Pepper's face.

"Actually.." Pepper sighs, knowing that Steve has been successfully defeated. "Her Twitter account is trending almost weekly."

These words mean nothing to Steve, but Maria is smiling and adds. "She's such a fucking troll, but she gives a lot of helpful tips and advice, especially to young women."

"Jesus." Steve scrubs a hand over his face, leaning back into the leather chair he's stuck in. "Okay, so say I actually do this, get a Insta-Book, thing, what was the other?"

"Twitter." Maria deadpans.

"Sure, I get one and then what?" Steve sighs, knowing he's lost and better off left for dead at this point. "I post a few pictures and you two leave me alone?"

Pepper chuckles, but Maria isn't as humored. "You post things, get followers, people start to like you, they get to know the real you." She pauses and then shrugs. "Well maybe not the real you, the social media you."

"Can I think about it?" Steve knows it's pointless to ask, but Pepper smiles and Maria nods. They're just placating him, but he's too proud to admit they've won, just yet, and escapes as quickly as he can. 

**00000**

Steve sighs as he pushes open the workshop door and steps inside. Tony, of course, does not immediately greet him, or for all Steve knows, even register that he's there. It wouldn't be the first time he got too wrapped up in his work to pay attention to his surroundings.

Jarvis wasn't sounding off alarm bells, so there wasn't really any reason for Tony to worry about himself when he was safe in his shop. Circled in Holo-screens, numbers flashing over them, things that Steve would never understand. Still, Steve hadn't come for nothing.

So dramatically, he found himself sighing again, this time louder, as he neared the work table. It wasn't his fault that Tony brought out this part of him.

"Something the matter, Cap?" Tony's voice replied, but his attention stayed on the screens and the equations he had been working on, 

"I just had a meeting with Pepper and Hill." Steve finds himself sighing, yet again as he leans over the stainless steel table.

"And you survived?" This time Tony does look at him, an eyebrow quirked, and a smirk playing on his plump lips. "Also is it just me or would that make a good band name, Pepper Hill-"

"You're an idiot." Steve finds himself saying fondly, even a smile is threatening to split his face. "They want me to get a social media presence."

"Ah." Tony replies, and it's too telling because he's quickly squinting back up at the screens.

"You knew they were going to corner me didn't you?" Steve shakes his head, of course Tony knew. Tony apparent king of social media, with all the accounts and the millions of people watching him. "Why?" Is all Steve can ask. "Why is it so important?"

"I think it's kinda fun actually." Tony swipes a hand over one of the screens before glancing back at Steve. "People want to know what it's like to be us, no harm in showing them a little bit. You might enjoy it actually."

"What makes you think I'm going to get one?" Steve wants to be offended, but they both know the power of Pepper, and Hill - alone they were forces, combined it was foolish to resist.

"Oh, Okay." Tony smirks, twisting in his chair to face Steve. "So you're telling me that you plan to go back and tell both of them No." he raises an eyebrow, and it takes everything in Steve not to glare.

"What's the least labor intensive one?" Steve asks instead, because Tony is right. Tony is always right. 

Tony's smirk turns soft and then he's rolling his chair towards the work table. "Guess it depends what you qualify as work." he taps his palms onto the table, as he talks, almost always needing to be moving. "Instagram I think would be best for you, it's just pictures and optional captions. It's simple. You can add filters and make posts all artsy and fancy, just like you make everything else."

Tony stands up and leans into the table towards Steve. "Twitter is fun, but it's for words. It has a limit, and you wouldn't be able to go on your rants about the government or the environment on there."

"And the other one, the Facebook?" Steve presses, feeling himself relax just with his proximity to Tony.

"It's just Facebook, no The. Gosh old man." Tony laughs, and Steve rolls his eyes. "Facebook is kind of a hybrid of both Twitter and Instagram, but it's gotten less popular and is mostly filled with elderly women sharing awful photos, of their grand kids or pets, and talking about their bad dates and shopping trips."

"That's the problem." Steve says, forcing himself not to sigh yet again. "I just don't think it's anyone's business what my personal life is like."

"I know." Tony says as he leans forward to place a soft kiss on Steve's lips. And boy does he know, he's got a front row seat to the privacy rant more than once. "you're a very private guy, and I like that about you, but you don't have to share anything you don't want to, and I can teach you."

Steve nearly melts into Tony's lips, and all his defenses are crashing, fast and hard. "Fine." he breathes out. "I'll get the photograph one, you can help me." 

\---

"What do you mean my name was taken?" Steve asks, brows furrowing down at Tony. They had made their way to the futon couch in the corner of Tony's shop, their legs intertwined, and in between drawn out kisses and soft touches Tony had been attempting to create an Instagram page. "There's another Captain America?"

"No. There isn't, it's just something - never mind "Tony can't help the huff that leaves his lips, it's not that he's frustrated, it's just that he has very limited patience when it comes to explaining idiosyncrasies of the current generation of youth on the planet. "It doesn't matter, I can get CptnSteveRogers." 

Tony glances down at the screen before adding.

"Or you could be a real shit and pick out a completely ridiculous name."

"Like?" Steve asks, knowing he's going to regret it the second he does.

"Captain Dorito, Sexy Spangles - Oh Tony Stark's Wet Dr-"

"Stop." Steve laughs. "I think the regular name is fine, please and thank you."

"Boring." Tony sings out, but his fingers move across the screen of Steve's phone and then he's nodding satisfied. "There ya go Cap. You officially have an Instagram, and I've gone ahead and done you the favor of following your team. Pepper will work on getting you verified."

Those words meant a whole lot of nothing to Steve, so instead he asked the only logical thing he could think of. "Okay. So now what?"

"Say Cheese." Tony says, and lifts the phone, Steve barely had a chance to do anything but stare as the shutter sound goes off.

"Welcome to Instagram, hot stuff." Tony is smirking as he types something more into the screen, before handing back over Steve's phone.

Steve, of course, has no idea what he's looking at. It's just his face, it's innocent enough, there's a few words _'Finally coerced in starting an Instagram.'_ , but other than that, it looks like nothing. So Steve tosses his phone to the side and turns his attentions back onto Tony.

"So you think I'm hot?"

"That was bad." Tony chuckles, but it doesn't stop him from hooking his now free finger into Steve's collar and pulling him in for a kiss.

Neither Steve nor Tony know how long they're distracted for when Natasha slides into the shop. In fact, they don't even know how long she's been there, leaning up against the door frame. They don't even know she's there until she speaks.

"You two make out like you're in high school."

It makes both Tony and Steve snap back from each other and into reality, Steve almost jumping off the couch entirely, Tony, thankfully, handling the startle a bit better simply sits up. 

"I knew I'd regret giving you that code." Tony says with a groan, twisting in his seat to grab a cushion to put over his lap.

Steve would laugh if he wasn't feeling mortified perched on the edge of the futon.

Natasha rolls her eyes, and pushes away from the door frame. "It's like watching two hungry kittens go at it." She's only teasing, but if they didn't know her it would be hard to tell.

"Do you need something?" Steve says, finally realizing how silly he looks teetering on the edge of as far from Tony as he can get without leaving the couch, and slides back onto a cushion like a regular person.

"Oh, I just figured Tony would want to know he's about to get upstaged." Natasha's green eyes travel from Tony to Steve. "Welcome to Instagram by the way."

"What?" Steve asks, almost forgetting entirely what it was he was doing before he got lost in Tony's mouth.

Tony though, he seems to catch on immediately, and is reaching for Steve's phone off the floor where it had ended up. "Coming for me huh?"

Tony's fingers swipe across Steve's phone and then he's looking up and smirking. "You have almost a million followers and it's only been up for twenty minutes."

"What are you talking about?" Steve grabs his phone back from Tony to look for himself, only he didn't really know what he was looking at. Notifications the words in the top of the window told him, but it just kept loading, new messages coming in. New Follows, and likes.

"You should see some of the comments." Natasha says with a curious tone in her voice, like a child daring someone to do something they know they shouldn't be doing. "People are going crazy."

"Don't do that-" Tony tries, but it's already too late. 

Steve managed to click on something that brought him back to the photo of his own face. Under the caption were the comments. So many comments. "What have I done?" Steve is mostly asking himself, but it comes out to the entire room.

"You've done worse." Natasha answers, looking directly at Tony as she speaks.

"Excuse you-" Tony starts.

  
"Be nice." Steve finishes, glaring up from his phone and the mess he's created.

Natasha throws her hands up innocently, a wicked smirk painting her red lips. "Boyfriend is a soft topic, I'll remember that."

"It's not-" Now it was Steve's turn to start.

"We're not.." Tony tries to clarify, but falls short. They had been dancing around this for months now. They weren't not dating, but they weren't really boyfriends - at least. Not really.

"Save it for your therapists." Natasha quickly cut in, but she's laughing, light and easy. This time, neither Steve nor Tony could be upset at her. It was one of those things where no one was supposed to know, but everyone on the Team knew, on some level. Some, Natasha, more than others.

  
_All the excuses had been used._

  
_We're just having fun_

_No Strings attached_

_I like him, but we're just taking it slow_

_We don't want to label it just yet_

_You know it's so new we're just waiting.._

It got to a point where everyone just pointed it out to bother them now, they didn't even care.

"Anyways." Natasha added. "Just thought you'd want to know you're breaking the internet. You two can go back to whatever the hell that was."

Tony can't help it as he throws a middle finger up to her, and she blows a kiss before spinning on her heel and heading out of the workshop and back to where she came from.

"Hey Tony?" Steve asks after a moment of silence has passed them. "What does this mean?"

Tony turns his attention to the outstretched phone and has to stop himself from laughing. "Uh, those would be thirst comments."

"They're just water drops?" Steve asks, confused as he looks back down at the comment section. 

"Oh boy." Tony sighs, but it's in fondness. "You're in for one hell of a lesson Babe, buckle up."

Tony, as best he can, explains emoji's, how they can mean a lot more than the usual innocent smiley sent in a text. How some things, can be an innuendo for something a lot less simple.

_"Why are they calling me Daddy?"_

_"Well.. Steve..."_

The lingo was an hour long conversation on it's own, as they scrolled through the comments, Steve's blush only deepening the more he understood what people were saying about him. What people were saying to him.

"They have no shame." Steve commented as he continued to scroll.

"Generally, I would advise against actually reading the comments." Tony grimaces, knowing how wild it can get.

"This one isn't so bad." Steve says looking at a new one. "It just saying Oh Em Gee is that Tony's workshop, with a bunch of hearts, how do people spot this kind of stuff?"

"That's enough Instagram for one night." Tony says with a laugh, plucking Steve's phone out of his hand, and stuffing it behind himself on the couch.

**00000**

Turns out, Instagram wasn't the worst thing Steve could have gotten. The next morning, after sneaking out of Tony's penthouse, and going for his morning run he stopped in the shared kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. He set himself up on the island, next to the large windows, where the morning sun was beginning to seep into the building.

He tucked down the news paper beside his cup and then got a brilliant idea, and Steve took his first Instagram photo. It was simple, the news paper next to his white mug against the marble countertop. He fiddled around with the small boxes, changing the way the photo looked before he posted it, leaving the caption blank. It immediately caused his phone to go nuts, if it was going to be this easy, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. This, he could do, and maybe Tony could teach him how to turn off the notifications, then it would be perfect.

He left his screen open, as the notifications flooded in, and tried his best not to notice as he sipped his morning coffee, and enjoyed the view of the city beneath the large windows. It wasn't right to feel proud about how many likes something got, right?

"Knew I'd find you here." Tony's voice carries across the room and startles Steve - all he can do is send a glare over his shoulder, because his hearing really should have warned him, instead he had been distracted.

Tony just smiles softly, and waves his own phone screen in the air, Steve's Instagram post taking up the screen.

  
"Are you cyber stalking me?"

"Have you been Googling internet slang?" Tony smirks and then shakes his head, not bothering to avoid the question. "But no, I just follow you, like your other million digital friends." With that, he makes a scene of pressing down twice on his screen, and Steve gets yet another notification.

**_'TheTonyStark has liked your photo'_ **

"I didn't realize it was this simple." Steve says, settling back down onto his seat, and unfolding his news paper. "I just post a picture of something stupid and the world goes crazy."

"You've just begun young one, just wait." Tony comments, leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to Steve's cheek. "I just wanted to say good morning before I head into the office."

"Busy day?" Steve asks, glancing up over his Paper now, his cheek still warm from the press of Tony's lips. He'll never grow tired of that feeling he thinks. 

"Pepper is going to keep me busy until dinner." Tony confirms, pouring himself a cup of the already brewed coffee. "Miss me, but also please call me if any Avengers business comes up, like any."

"Have a good day Tony." Steve smiles, ignoring his pleas.

"Like seriously, anything, a single doom bot, a spelling error in a report literally anything-" Tony adds, just begging for an excuse not to go to work.

"-I'll make you dinner tonight if you go away before Pepper comes up here to get you." Steve levels.

"You're the worst." Tony says with a huff, grabbing his coffee mug, before heading off to the elevator and disappearing for the day.

**00000**

It doesn't take long for Steve to end up back on Instagram. This time, however he goes to Tony's profile. The last photo posted is one of the Iron Man Suits. It's half the traditional red and gold, and half silver.

'A geniuses work is never done...' reads the caption.

Steve recognizes it as the rebuild Tony was fiddling around with a few days ago. He had switched to the Nano tech for his own suits, but still updated some of his older ones, for emergency cases. The picture itself had a million and a half likes.

A few more pictures down was one of the team. It was post battle, nothing exciting, a couple Doom Bots on the loose from a week ago. Steve hadn't even noticed Tony take the photo. Steve had his back turned to the camera, his hands on his hips, talking to Clint, and Natasha, some destroyed robots at their feet. Thor was off to the side, smiling towards the camera. Tony captioned it with 'America's Sweetheart, America's Ass, America's Pain in the Ass and the God of Thunder.' It gave Steve a good chuckle.

He continued scrolling down Tony's page though, most of the photos were Iron Man, the armor, the gauntlet, some were of New York, the view from the penthouse, the view from Tony's office, Selfies galore. The deeper he got, the more the photos varied. Two months ago he posted a photo of Pepper, she wasn't looking at him, she had her back turned, a going theme Steve was starting to think, and was pointing to something on a whiteboard. The caption was a simple red heart. 

So many of visual comments were about how they made a cute couple. Steve would pretend that didn't bother him. Because it didn't, He knew better. He did, he _did_.

Even deeper, Steve stumbled upon a group photo. It was from one of the press events that the Avengers had attended upon newly forming. They were seated behind a long table with microphones. The only person aside from Tony looking at the camera was Natasha. She had an eyebrow raised, a very serious look on her face.

Tony had captioned the photo 'Just my new friends and I & Hawkeye.'

It caused a laugh to bubble out of Steve, and he couldn't help but double tap the photo.

"What's so funny?" Natasha asked, bare feet padding into the kitchen. Her hair was tied back, and she wore yoga pants with a t-shirt, clearly on her way down to the gym.

"Just an old photo." Steve answered honestly. "Need any company?"

She raised her perfectly manicured brows and then nodded. "I'd love to take you down on the mat, if you've got the time." 

"I always have time for you." Steve smirked, pushing himself away from the kitchen island. "I also want to ask you a favor."

"Oh, goodie." She teased, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge before heading off to the elevator. 

**00000**

"You know-" Natasha huffed as she twisted her arm, escaping Steve's grasp and dodging his next strike. "-I definitely thought the favor had to do with Stark."

"What?" Steve asked, though still not missing a beat, as he threw a left hook, which Natasha of course dipped out of the way with ease, before he was jumping back from a mean roundhouse she shot out. "Like what?"

"Oh I don't know." Natasha calmed her breathing as she walked along the edge of the sparring mat. "Like maybe advice on how to ask him out or-" she jabbed forward, her hand barely escaping Steve's grab. "-Like how to just confess that you're madly in love with him."

"Natasha." Steve frowned, but he continued moving, not letting himself be distracted by her, she would use whatever she could for her own gain. Even if she meant what she was saying. "Tony and I, We're not like that-"

  
"Have you told him that?" She asked, dropping her guard. "Seriously though have you seen the way he stares at you when he thinks no one is noticing? the guy is completely infatuated with you, just break his heart or marry him already."

"That's not funny." Steve mimicked her moves, letting his hands fall free, because it wasn't. Tony liked him sure, but Tony was Tony Stark. Mister can date anyone he wants with the snap of his fingers, Stark. You keep things casual with someone like that, you let them be free so you don't have to feel them slip through your fingers when you hold on too tight. "Look are you going to take a photo with me or not?"

Natasha's head tilted, measuring herself up to Steve and then she grinned. "Sure-" Her arms swung out quick, and before Steve could brace himself, she had wrapped her legs, around his and caused them both to fall onto the mat with a heavy thud.

"You're a cheat." Steve groaned, but Natasha just laughed, hopping to her feet, and offering him a hand to get up with.

"Just grab your phone and take this photo already."

The photo was Steve, and Natasha, both covered in sweat, although Natasha's was more of a light glow - she never looked terrible after a workout - in front of the sparring mats. Steve was smiling, wide with his head tilted towards Natasha, who, was not smiling, but still managed to look rather pleased as she stood next to Steve.

Steve captioned it _'_ **Just had my butt handed to me.'**

**_Liked by BlkWdow, TheTonyStark and millions of others_ **

**00000**

"Why does everyone think we're dating?" Steve asked as he stepped off the elevator, his eyes falling back down to his phone screen.

"I thought Tony had advised you against reading the comments." Natasha replied as she followed Steve off of the elevator and headed into the kitchen, getting to work on her usual after sparring protein shake.

"He did." Steve had found a particularly annoying comment, ' _i bet they fuck like animals'_ , he frowned and held his phone out for Natasha to see. "I didn't get anything like these ones on my other two photos."

Natasha did Steve the favor of leaning over to check the comment before she rolled her eyes and continued readying the blender. "That's because your other posts didn't have females in them, besides that isn't even that bad Steve."

She continued moving around the kitchen, grabbing her protein powder from a cupboard before the almond milk from the fridge as she spoke. "Trust me Steve you get two attractive people of the opposite sex in one photo and suddenly the entire world thinks you're fucking, and it's so much worse for women, I can't even post a picture of myself without a thousand people asking me to sit on their faces."

"That's not - What, Really?" Steve couldn't help his cringe, that just was not okay. Natasha was like a sister to him, he would protect her to the death, he did not need to be hearing this stuff. He had no choice but to finally pocket his phone, having read enough of the vulgar comments for one day. "We weren't even doing anything in the photo, so they just left those comments because you're a girl."

"Exactly." Natasha placed the lid on the blender before shrugging. "I'm hot, you're hot, two hot people of opposite sexes can't possibly friends Steve, you should know this."

"What about two hot people of the same sex?" Steve questioned.

"Oh you sweet innocent summer child." Natasha said with a shake of her head, and a quirk of her lips. "You are Captain America, you are straight as an arrow and can do no wrong as far as the public's concerned, It would take a lot more than one all male selfie to change their minds."

With that Natasha started the blender, and Steve, well Steve got an idea.

**00000**

"Hey Clint." Steve tried to keep his tone normal, just a regular afternoon stumbling into the living room and running into a teammate. Not like he had asked Jarvis where to find him, nope. He must have been doing a good job, because Clint barely gave him a grunt in reply, eyes still trained on the television. 

"Hey, so-" Steve tried again, standing behind the couch and looking at what it was Clint was watching, an HGTV renovation show - he wouldn't judge. "You're always up to do something risky or inappropriate right?"

"Oh, ho ho-" This did get Clint's attention, as he turned on his cushion to look up at Steve from over his shoulder. "What did you have in mind Cap?"

"I was wondering if I could kiss you." Steve immediately see's the confusion wash over Clint's face, so he quickly finds himself adding. "On the cheek, for a social media experiment."

"Sure I guess." Clint is still looking at him with mild confusion, and what almost looks like disappointment. "but maybe next time don't lead on with words like risky and get my hopes up."

Steve rolls his eyes, Clint truly is ridiculous. "It is risky." And it is, at least for Steve. Natasha said the world thinks of him as the definition of America, their version. A straight white male who prays to God every night, helps old ladies cross the street and holds onto all those old fashioned American values. 

To a certain extent they were right on a few things. However, as Pepper and Maria had so eloquently put it, getting Social Media was to give the public a glimpse into the real Steve Rogers. And they were about to get that. 

"You're lame, guys kiss each other all the time now Cap, get with the twenty first century, I figured you'd know that with Tony's tongue in your mouth all the time." Clint says with a laugh, but he turns on his couch cushion and gets up on his knees so he's leaning over the back of the couch and tilting his cheek towards Steve. "Okay, Come on, plant one on me lover boy." 

"You're exhausting." Is all Steve replies, but pulls his phone from his pocket anyways and lines up the shot. He closes his eyes and plants his lips smack dab on the side of Clint's face. When he takes a look at the photo, Clint has managed to pull the most ridiculous, but perfect face.

His smile is wide, and he has his eyes tilted upwards, as if simply giddy to being kissed by Captain America. While Steve's lips are perfectly pressed up against Clint's cheek. It's perfect. 

"Oh I look good." Clint near purrs as he looks at the photo over Steve's shoulder. "Add a filter on it to really bring out my eyes will ya? Don't forget to tag me. I got fans to impress." Clint didn't wait for Steve to even reply, before he was reaching over and pressing small squares to change the coloring of the photo. 

"Stop." Steve huffed, stepping away from the couch and Clint's grasp, trying to think of a witty caption, but something also misleading. 

**'Living the dream with this fella @Hawkeye'**

"Thanks." Steve called over his shoulder as he started out of the living room and back towards the elevator.

"Any time." Clint replied with a smirk.

**_Liked by Hawkeye and Thousands of others._ **

**00000**

"I see someone's been having a lot of fun with Instagram." Tony steps into the kitchen, loosening the tie around his neck, shooting a smirk at Steve.

"Shouldn't you not be checking your phone while working?" Steve replies dryly as he puts a plate into the microwave. 

Everyone has managed to crawl out of their daily hiding holes to come up for dinner, an odd, albeit domestic side of the team that's just sort of fallen into place. In times where they weren't on missions, or in meetings, or away from the city, or the planet, they convene in the kitchen at the end of a day. A ritual, almost. 

  
Team building, Steve thought. Always good to touch base with a teammate, with your friends and make sure they're doing okay.

So Tony isn't surprised when he hears a snort come from the table, where Clint is sitting. "Jealous Stark? Doesn't look good on you."

"Oh, Please." Tony drawls, pulling open the fridge and grabbing a can of cola. "What in the world could you possibly have to make me jealous?"

"Your boyfriends lips on my face." Clint replies, with another snort.

Steve hopes that no one notices the blush that immediately finds its way out of the collar of his T-Shirt. "Clint, shut up." He says focusing all his attention onto the microwave, willing it to finish faster. 

Clint just laughs again, and Tony pops the can in his hand, brown eyes practically burning into the back of Steve's head, waiting for some kind of explanation. Steve can feel it, so he sighs, just enough to get his blush under control before facing the brunette again.

"It was for science." He says with an easy smile. "You can understand that, right?"

"Steve." Tony says, though he's trying hard not to smile from behind his can. "You are going to need to elaborate here, you called him the dream."

"Oh God." Steve says with a laugh, thankfully being saved by the beeping of the microwave. "Look I took a photo with Natasha this morning-"

"I Saw that one." Tony's eyes fall on Natasha who's been silently eating her dinner at the table next to Clint and he can't help but whistle. "That was prime Instagram material."

"See." Natasha says simply, as if proving a point, Tony didn't get it and Steve rolled his eyes. 

"I posted that photo and every comment was about us, dating, or being together or how hot we were together." Steve pulled the plate out of the microwave, and placed it down on the counter before moving towards the drawer with the cutlery in it.

"Well yeah." Tony took a sip of his pop before he gave a one shoulder shrug. "You are a guy, she's a girl, you're both hot, you're on the same team, always out together. It's not surprising they all assumed."

"See." Natasha says again, simply, proving yet another one of her points, again, Tony didn't get it. 

"I wanted to see what they would do if I posted one with a guy." Steve says handing the fork he pulled from the drawer to Tony, urging him to eat what he just warmed. "I wanted to insinuate that some thing else was going on, I was just standing next to Nat in the first photo, so I decided to take it up a notch with Clint."

Tony reluctantly took the few steps across to the counter where Steve had laid the plate. "And how did that work out for you?" He asked, taking a forkful of the pasta noodles, though the raise of his eyebrow made Steve feel like he already knew the answer.

"Not Great." Steve admitted, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "There's only like three comments where someone is asking about our relationship, one of them is extremely homophobic." he glances up from his phone screen, realizing he has all eyes on him. "And it only got a few thousand likes, that's less than the one of my coffee."

Tony hummed around his food as he chewed, and Clint and Natasha shared a glance, like no one quite wanted to handle this one. It was Bruce who finally sighed, looking up from his tablet.

"What exactly were you expecting to happen?" The scientist asked, pushing the glasses up his nose. "You're Captain America Steve."

"That's the problem." Steve said, a glint to his eye that told the team he had something else in mind. "My next post I'll just have to remind them all that I'm also Steve Rogers."

"Oh Boy." Natasha said into her plate.

"I should probably warn Pepper." Tony mused, before taking another bite, almost reveling in the huff Steve gave him in return. 

**00000**

"Steven, may I speak with you?" Thor's voice is strong and commanding, but even still, Steve can make out the cautiousness underlining in his tone. Like a child about to ask for candy, slightly innocent, not something Steve should fear, yet, no one likes to be asked to talk.

Honestly, though, Steve is too tired to be worried. They just finished battling armed drones, one still sparking beneath his feet, the dust barely settled over his cheeks when Thor approached him. So all he could do was take a deep breath and face the God head on.

"What's up?"

"Jane's friend mentioned that you have a social media account." Thor's hammer dangles almost delicately from his fingers as he speaks, head tilting like he's trying hard to think of the right words. "And that you've recently posted a photograph with Clint."

"I have." Steve confirms, because, he doesn't really know where this is going, but whatever it is, it's enough to unsettled the God of Thunder. Which in itself is unsettling.

Thor sighs, and his free hand raises to grasp the back of his own neck, "I don't know how else to word this, so please forgive me for any missteps, but should you be kissing others and putting it where Tony can see?"

"Oh." Steve's eyebrows raise into his hairline, because this, was definitely not even on his radar. "Tony and I we aren't - " he waves a hand haphazardly between himself and the general direction he knows Tony is in. "Neither are Clint and I. I just took the photo to try and prove a point. It didn't mean anything."

Thor looks confused at this, but his shoulders to relax a fraction, and Steve mentally makes a note as to where Thor's alliance lies between himself and Tony, might be handy to know. You know, in case things ever did get - _nope. no_ not going there.

"Did it work?" Thor asks finally, sounding more like himself. "The photo for your point?"

"No." Steve finds himself sighing as he admits. "It appears the public isn't too concerned if I kiss Clint, in fact people called it a cute bromance." 

He exchanges a look with Thor which only proves that neither of them really know what that means, but then something sparks in Thor's eye and he perks up.

"Maybe I should kiss you." He's eager, and smiling his giant smile. "I am a great warrior Steven, it would make quite the point."

Steve doesn't think he agrees, but with how happy Thor looks, he thinks it would be stupid to decline. He hadn't posted anything in a few days anyways, and a second picture would have to give some sort of hint, wouldn't it. 

"Alright, sure. Why not." Steve says, pulling his phone out of a pocket, before taking his cowl off his head, He holds up the phone, and naturally Thor falls into place, he's pushed up against Steve with his lips planted firmly on his dirty cheek.

Steve can't help the laugh that escapes him as he presses the shutter button. It's ridiculous. There's literally smoking drones behind them, and Steve looks like he needs a shower.

Thor, though his lips are pursed, still looks giddy, his hair windswept, looking truly like a God.

"There's no better way to celebrate a successful battle." Thor says almost with glee as he steps away. "It's a tradition on many planets in the realms to do so."

Steve doesn't argue, in fact he quotes him for the caption, and posts before he stuffs his phone back into his pocket and heads back to the team for debrief and clean up.

**'There's no better way to celebrate a success.'**

**_Liked by TheTonyStark, BlkWdow and Millions of others.'_ **

This one makes the news - well, the entertainment news - when a blonde reporter comments how adorable it is that Steve and Thor are such close teammates. It only makes Steve's blood boil a little. 

**00000**

Tony groans as he uncurls himself from around Steve's body. "Good morning." he sweetly whispers against Steve's shoulder, before his warmth is gone entirely.

"Few more minutes." Steve mumbles into his pillow, not quite ready to unravel himself from Tony's silk sheets, and face the real world. "M'tired"

"You're the one that set the alarm." Tony chuckles, and his voice isn't far, just on the edge of the bed if Steve had to guess. There's some shuffling, and then he can feel the mattress dip as Tony lays back down behind him. "It's a beautiful morning."

"Hmm." Steve agrees, though he doesn't bother to look out Tony's windows, instead choosing to shuffle back, just enough to feel himself press back into Tony.

"You're ridiculous." Tony is chuckling again, but he's sliding an arm over Steve's side and pressing soft kisses along his shoulders, his calloused fingers grazing against his bare skin. "Tell you what.." Tony speaks into Steve's skin, nose bumping into his ear as he moves trailing soft kisses upwards. "If you wake up right now I'll make it worth your efforts."

It's moments like this, locked away in the penthouse, where privacy surrounds them that Steve feels like himself. There's no hesitation of who will catch them kissing, there's no walls left up. It's just the two of them, together, and God do they work well together. Steve isn't going to pass up an offer like that, so he blinks himself awake, and takes a moment to appreciate how soft Tony looks in the mornings.

Tony just smiles wide, appreciating his efforts being successful, and then he's climbing on top of Steve with ease, and they move together like two bodies with one mind. It's incredible, it always is. Every touch sends Steve's skin tingling, and his stomach flipping. Every kiss is well placed and well received. They move in sync, both chasing the same high, both receiving the same payout.

If Steve could stay like this forever he would. If Tony asked him to stay he would - but Tony doesn't, and Steve doesn't suggest and so they do what they do best, and when they're done, they clean up between kisses and continue with their lives.

"I have to shower." Tony sighs, as he slides off the bed and away from Steve, bursting the bubble they create when they're alone. "You've made me late again Steve, Pepper might be having a word with you."

"Like it's not entirely your fault." Steve smirks, sitting up and searching for his boxers, which were tossed to the side. 

"It's not." Tony says, padding off to his bathroom, full of confidence, and incredibly nude. "Have you seen yourself Steve? Look in a mirror and then try and blame me, dare you."

Steve wants to roll his eyes, or tell Tony to stop, but he's already ducked into his bathroom, and the shower water is running. He knows the drill, so Steve gathers his clothes, dresses on his way out and heads back to his floor.

After breakfast, he finds himself scrolling Instagram once again, stumbling upon a photo Tony posted that morning.

It's of the cityscape, the sun just beginning to rise, peaking out above the tall city buildings, The floor the ceiling windows are on full display, and just barely, if Steve squints, he can see Tony's reflection in the windows. It's distorted, but he see's Tony's body, the outline of a bed, and just barely, he can make out his own form laying behind him. 

Steve can feel his ears getting hot just at the thought, but it's barely noticeable, if he wasn't there he wouldn't have even noticed. But Tony's Caption makes his chest sink.

**_'If every morning was as good as this..'_ **

Steve can't help but like it. Along with the other Millions of people. 

**00000**

Steve takes a photo while he's at a baseball game, another one while he's grocery shopping, he posts a picture of some adorable dogs he meets on one of his morning runs. There's artsy ones of his drawings, of the city, of strangers he stumbles upon. He posts photos of the jet, and some photos post battle.

Steve takes photos of the Avengers at dinner, and ones where Clint's middle fingers are up because he's slipped and fallen again (it really is a running gag on his Instagram, the followers love it.), He has photos of Thor mid bite, and ones of Tony working in his shop, ones of Tony smirking beside a fancy car and - well there's a lot of Tony. But he makes sure to spread those out, most of the photos he has of Bruce are because he wanted to take one of Tony. He has photos of Natasha, but always in group settings, always while she was looking terrifying, or strong. Steve takes the kind of photos that have Pepper applauding him. 

"You make everyone look so human." She says one day as she's floating around the main floor, waiting for Tony before they head off to a meeting of some sort. 

"We are all human." Steve replies before catching himself and adding "Or at least most of us, Thor definitely is an alien, at least as far as Earth's concerned."

Pepper laughs a light breezy laugh, and Steve can't help himself but smile along. He likes Pepper, he always has. She's strong, and brave and has this way with Tony that he could only dream of having - that he may have picked up some habits from watching - but he wont ever admit that out loud. 

  
"You know what I mean." She says, her green eyes leveling with him from across the counter. "You are kind of a natural at giving people a glimpse into the life of Steve Rogers."

"Not really." Steve admits, and it may come out a bit harsher than he had meant. But he had tried hard to just be himself, yet people still always assumed he was dating any girl he was spotted out in public with. Still, people assumed he was perfect, he was still Captain America, even though he posted things from Steve Roger's every day life. "I just mean I could be doing more."

"Like?" Pepper asks, there's just something about the way Pepper talks that you can't really brush her off.

"There's still a lot about me that's private." Steve answers, trying his best to keep vague, even if he's certain Pepper already knows most of everything about him. "Feels wrong not letting the world know, but it also feels wrong needing to let them know at all."

Pepper seems to chew over the words for a second, her head tilting before she allows herself to answer. "I get that." it feels a lot like a confession, but Steve knows better than to press. "Sometimes you just need to make an executive decision though, you either rip the band aid off and let them in on all the big stuff-"

"Like Tony." Steve does cut in, because that's all Tony's ever done. He's lived as his true self in the public eye for as long as he had been alive. There wasn't a lot the public didn't know about him, not a lot Tony wouldn't tell the world just because he could.

"Or-" Pepper said with a soft nod. "You keep a hard line drawn and you let them think whatever they want to think."

She was right, of course Pepper was right. Steve had been hanging out in the in-between. He had one foot in the public eye, the photos the lame attempts at putting on a persona that might be the real him, instead of just jumping in completely. Without making a statement, a clear concise this is me statement. He needed to either close the walls back up, or break them down. His way. Steve Rogers had to come out to the world, or he had to tuck that part of himself behind Captain America, and leave it alone.

"Thanks Pepper." 

"Oh no." Pepper sighed, and her eyes narrowed. "You have this very familiar look like I might regret something soon."

**00000**

Steve's fingers hovered over the post button for a second more before he looked up at Sam. "Is this pushing it too far?"

Sam's eyebrows raised, feigning shocked as if he hadn't been trying convince Steve of that very fact for the past ten minutes. "Look man -" he sighed, "It's your life, I'm just saying maybe check with the powers that be, before you go crazy."

Steve looked down at the photo he was debating. It wasn't that bad, really, well, maybe it was. It wasn't planned though, he had been on his morning run with Sam and they had stumbled upon the Rainbow Pride flag. It wasn't up yesterday morning, Steve found out it had been raised at the restaurant for a pride celebration that evening.

How fitting, Steve had thought, and at first, was just going to take a picture of the flag and post it. But then Sam caught up, breathless, and sweaty, and Steve's mind fell back to the photo with Natasha, and to his conversation with Pepper.

" _Come on." Steve had said to Sam. "Just kiss me, it will be fine!"_

_Sam had nearly choked on his own spit. "Cap, I like you and all but I don't like you like that-"_

_"Shut up Sam, it's for Instagram!"_

_What they were left with was Steve puckering his lips towards Sam, who was just barely allowing his own to meet them, angled up so the pride flag was seen clearly above their heads. Okay, maybe it was a bit much. But if he was going to jump in with both feet, he was bound to make a splash._

"Right." Steve said, looking back up at his friend. "You're right. I should call Tony."

Sam just shrugged and waved a hand, inviting him to do just that, so Steve did. He closed the app and quickly pressed on Tony's contact.

It barely rang twice before Tony's very breathy voice was answering. "Hey there stranger -" He all but purred into the receiver. "What are you wearing?"

"Aren't you at work?" Steve asked, still turning away from Sam, as to not let the flushed look he now wore be seen.

Tony barked out a laugh at the question, and Steve couldn't stop the smile from finding his face too. "I am." He confirmed. "What's up?"

"I kissed Sam." Steve blurted, and then winced at how it came out, like a lover admitting a misstep, Tony's silence on the other side didn't help. "Tony?"

"Uh, Okay.." Tony replied, drawing out the a in Okay, and then he sighed. "Is this for another Instagram thing?"

"Well.." This time Steve glanced back at Sam, who stood staring at him, expectantly. "We were out for a run and just stumbled upon a rainbow flag-"

"Pepper is going to murder you." Tony laughed again, and Steve swore he could hear the woman in question ask what was so hilarious.

"Tony." Steve spoke, lowering his voice. "I just wanted you to know about it before I posted it."

"Oh of course." Tony's laughs had subsided, and there was something else in his voice. "Sam is aware you're about to make that kind of statement with him?"

The way Tony said _him_ , made Steve's stomach knot up, though he wasn't entirely sure why. "Uh yeah, Sam knows. You think it's going to make a statement?"

"You two kissing in front of a pride flag?" Tony asked, almost incredulously, while Steve definitely heard Pepper yell, ' _What!_ ' in the background. "Uh yeah, Cap, I'm pretty sure that's going to make a statement - hey look, Pepper is about to meltdown so I gotta go."

"Okay. Yeah-" Steve felt a little uneasy as he said goodbye, but it was probably just at the confirmation that he was about to stir the pot. 

"So?" Sam asked once Steve had dropped the phone from his ear.

"You alright with me posting it?" Steve asked, for probably the tenth time since taking the photo. Sam wasn't exactly an official Avenger, but he had been out on enough missions here and there for the general public and press to have an idea of who he was, so it wasn't like Steve was about to post a photo of a stranger.

  
Still, he had to make sure both parties were in agreement. The tone in Tony's voice almost worried him. 

"I'm sure if you are." Sam said with a shake of his head. "But so help me God if this backfires and prevents me from getting any dates-"

Steve couldn't help himself as he laughed, more so from nerves, than Sam's joke, but he didn't need to know that. Instead he looked down at his phone, looking back at the photo before finally hitting the post button.

**'Proud'**

**_'Liked by Hawkeye, and Millions of Others'_ **

**00000**

The Photo didn't make so much of a statement as it made noise. A lot of noise. By the time he got back to the tower it had made the lunch time news. He was notified by Bruce, in the elevator. 

  
It only escalated from there. By the time dinner rolled around it was on every news outlet. Jarvis had it on the big screen on the common floor, and Natasha had even made popcorn for the event. 

"Sources have confirmed that the man in the picture with Captain America is none other than Sam Wilson-" The blonde woman on the most recent news outlet said into the camera.

"We have spoke to someone close to the couple and-"

"Drink!" Clint said to the room, having made a drinking game out of every time they were referred to as a couple. No one else was playing along with him, but it didn't matter to Clint.

Steve had stumbled into the viewing party completely unaware of the mess he had made. 

"According to our source, they met in D.C." the reporter continued. "and I guess it must be loved if Wilson followed Captain America to New York. In fact, this is not the first time they've been spotted out together!"

A few amateur photos of Steve and Sam on various runs flashed across the screen, and one or two paparazzi ones of the two of them on missions. 

Steve scrubbed a hand over his face as the Instagram photo from that morning, the one causing all the problem came onto the television next. 

"I don't know-" A voice cut in, the camera panning to a woman in a stiff suit behind a desk. "Do we really think this is Cap's coming out of the closet? Could he not just be in support of the lifestyle?"

"That's right." A male anchor added. "Captain America is not gay-"

Before Steve could yell at the television the elevator announced its arrival, doors pulling open to reveal Pepper. She glared through the newly opened doors at Steve as she marched off. Her heels clipped into the tile flooring with every step while she held a phone tightly to her ear.

"No - No." She snapped into the receiver, eyes not leaving Steve for a moment as she got closer. "This is not an official Statement from the Avengers, nor is it a comment from Stark Industries, I demand to know who this source is-" She stopped only once she was standing in Steve's space. She was shorter, but not my much in her stilettos and she held Steve's gaze as she continued her conversation. "Just tell your source if they continue giving false information that we will use all the power behind the Avengers and Stark Industries to sue them into oblivion - Got it. Goodbye."

"I didn't realize this would bring Stark Industries-" Steve tried, but Pepper huffed out and her vision shifted to the television behind Steve's head.

Now the reporter was speaking to someone off the street.

"I think it's disgusting." The woman said into the microphone. "My daughter follows that account, or followed, I don't want her to be seeing that kind of stuff. He's supposed to be Captain America-"

"This is ridiculous." Pepper sighed, stepping around Steve and further into the living room, her eyes downcast onto her phone screen as her fingers danced across it, clearly trying to clean the mess Steve had made.

He wanted to apologize, offer his help in any way but another voice came the television speakers, one Steve knew well has Christine Everhart.

He could see Pepper visibly shutter from the voice alone.

"What we have here is a misguided man." Christine said into the camera, certain of herself. "Remember that he lives in the same tower as Tony Stark, Spending that much time around a man like that could cause anyone to think this behavior is okay-"

"What?" Steve found himself asking himself, the television and the room at the same time. "He wasn't even in the picture how does this have anything to do with-"

Pepper's glare stopped him mid sentence, and then she was looking back down at her phone, pacing the room. "They will use any excuse to throw him under the bus." Her voice was tight, and her fingers didn't even hesitate. "Any reason to discount him, as well as the Avengers."

"Can't I just make a statement?" Steve said, suddenly feeling everyone's eyes on him, for various reasons. "I'm not dating Sam, It's just a photo, it's my photo, and it has nothing to do with Tony."

"Clearly." Natasha said with a flick of her wrist, as she pushed her hair over her shoulder. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Steve could feel the lines forming in his forehead, his eyebrows knotting together as he looked around the room. "Where is Tony?"

"A statement saying what?" Pepper cut in, furiously typing into her phone. "That you're not dating the person that you posted a photo kissing? That would then make Captain America gay, and a liar." the red head glanced up "Then we'll have people harassing Sam about your breakup that never happened, or people discounting you entirely.That creates a new mess in itself Steve, suddenly you become a joke, why would you think this was a good idea-" It wasn't a question, as Pepper turned her full attention back to her phone.

"Where's Tony?" Steve asked again, when no one answered him, he took one more look at the television, two news anchors now getting in an argument of if a gay man could actually _be_ Captain America, which was ridiculous, because he _was_ Captain America - it wasn't just a job description. He could feel himself getting angry, and turned towards the elevators, and headed directly for the Workshop. However all hopes of being calmed by Tony were dashed when, Steve stepped out and noticed all of Tony's black out defenses were up. Steve had to punch in his code only to step into the room and be met with AC/DC blasting from every speaker Tony had in there, at a deafening level. 

  
"Tony?" Steve called, hoping to be heard over the guitar riffs. He could see Tony's brown hair peeking up behind a desk, hunched over something on the ground, not registering his company.

"Jarvis!" Steve called instead, when he knew that Tony could not hear him. The music cut out almost instantly, and it forced Tony to shoot straight, glancing at the door, and Steve standing in front of it.

Tony looked wide eyed and a little manic, but his confusion settled once he realized it was Steve who had cut his music. He offered a tight smile before turning his attention back to the hunk of gauntlet pinned between his legs.

He was still in his work clothes, only his jacket and tie had been discarded somewhere. His shirt had the top few buttons open, and now had grease marks over the once white fabric, like he had run directly down there as soon as Pepper allowed him to. 

"What are you working on?" Steve asked, trying to shrug off the awkward feeling that was spreading between them. "I'm surprised you're not upstairs."

"Just doing some tune ups." Tony spoke down into his lap, pulling the pinhole screwdriver from behind his ear and twisting it into one of the metal fingers. His eyes narrowed on his work and he seemed to disregard Steve all together as he continued fiddling.

Steve waited, or well he tried. He stood quietly on the other side of the work bench and watched as Tony worked, but his stomach started to twist up like it had been doing since he had called Tony in the morning and then it dawned on him.

"Are you mad at me?" 

Tony's fingers stuttered, and the screwdriver nearly tumbled out of his grasp. He managed to snatch it before it fell to the ground, before he glanced over at Steve. "Mad? I don't have anything to be mad about."

Steve tilted his head, he knew Tony better than this, he knew something was bothering him. He knew that communication wasn't always Tony's strong suit, and he knew that something hadn't been right for most of the morning. "That wasn't a no." He stated simply.

Tony tried to focus back on his work, but it barely lasted thirty seconds before he was sighing and moving to put down both the gauntlet and the screw driver. "Steve, please, I just, I'm having a moment I'll get over it."

"A moment over what?" Steve pressed. "You'd think the world is literally falling apart upstairs and you're down here sulking, what is it?"

At that, Tony's eyebrows came together, and his brown eyes stared at Steve. "You kissed Sam."

"Yeah." Steve confirmed with a roll of his eyes. "I Swear to God it's like a kicked a puppy or burned a flag the way everyone's reacting, but what's that got to do with.. You..." 

  
Steve got it, or at least thought he did as he spoke, and a pained look spread over Tony's face. 

"Before you-" Tony waved a hand, stopping Steve's mouth from opening. "I know it's not my place, that we aren't.. you know whatever, but it still bothers me, I'm sorry." he shrugged lamely. "I'll get over it, I just needed some time away from it all."

"Oh." was all Steve managed, oh. Tony was upset. "But on the phone, you laughed?"

"I know." Tony cringed and then looked back down at the gauntlet on the table. "It's not the kiss that's bothering me."

Steve's brain clicked loudly, clearly, and a wave of realization washed over him with nearly enough force to knock the air right out of him. "It's the statement." the Statement with _him_ , with Sam. 

"I know I'm not your boyfriend." Tony scratched at his chin, still avoiding eye contact. "You're private and you like it that way, or at least you did.." finally, he forced himself to look up at Steve. "I guess I just hoped if you were going to come out to the public like that it would be with me."

_Shit._ "Shit." Steve had to remember to close his jaw, he looked like an idiot, but he also felt like one. No, he felt like an Ass. A complete and total ass. He had toted privacy as the reason for keeping whatever it was he and Tony were doing between them. He had spouted tons of bullshit about keeping what they had between them, even if it was the worst kept secret of the entire tower. And here he had gone and kissed Sam for the public, before even considering Tony.

Tony the man that made his heart flutter into his throat and his stomach twist into the biggest butterflies known to man. Tony, the brunette beauty that made him smile, and laugh, and made him feel some kind of way.

Tony who was absolutely infatuated with him. 

"You're right." Steve finally said, connecting his thoughts into something that made sense. "I'm sorry Tony."

"What?" Tony forced a smile, it didn't quite reach his eyes, but it was there. "Did you just say - J, please tell me you recorded that, please. Cap said I was right."

"Of course, sir." Jarvis replied, in the dry sarcastic way that only Jarvis could.

"Can we please be serious here for a second?" Steve said, holding back the eye roll he so badly wanted to do. As if his day couldn't get worse, there was a chance this was going to send it right off the edge. 

"I thought we were already?" Tony quipped, trying his best to keep it light, in that way he did any time anything teetered on uncomfortable.

Steve took a breath and then leveled with the brunette sitting across from him. "Tony, do you want to be my boyfriend?" 

"Don't pity ask me out." Tony nearly wined. "It's fine, Steve, I promise I will get over it, I'll still be here in the morning, I just let my feelings get the best of me, don't do something you'll regret."

How Steve did not see this was baffling, seriously. How he could be so oblivious, when literally everyone else around him was telling him how it was, was beyond him. Every time someone cornered them, it was always Steve making the excuses, and Tony agreeing. It was always Tony protecting Steve. But the soft touches, stolen glances and quick kisses. Those were real, they meant something. The now familiar twist in his stomach came again and Steve knew what he had to do.

"Tony." He moved around the work bench separating them, coming to a crouch in front of Tony, who still sat, now somewhat bewildered, in his chair. Carefully, Steve placed both his hands on Tony's thighs and held him in place. "Would you please be my boyfriend, for real, officially?"

"Are you serious?" Tony's voice was in a near whisper as he looked down into Steve's blue eyes.

"I promise not to kiss anyone else like that again." Steve replies instead, gaining a real smile out of Tony for it. "Instagram has turned me into a monster."

Tony barked out a laugh, but cupped Steve's face with both of his hands. "You were always a monster, Rogers." he leaned down softly placed his lips on Steve's. "It's just more prevalent with the help of social media."

**00000**

When and Steve and Tony finally make it up from the shop, the gang is still cluttered around the television. Out of pure reflex, Tony releases Steve's hand from his own, but this time, Steve isn't letting go.

Pepper is the first one to notice them, her glare softens as her eyes fall to the clasped hands, and cautiously, Steve thinks he may have dodged the wrath of Pepper Potts once again.

"This will eventually blow over." Pepper breathes out to Steve before shifting to Tony. "Christine will be quiet thanks to the threat of a defamation lawsuit, but the christian protesters have started to group up outside the lobby."

"I'm so sorry." Steve finds himself saying, directly to Pepper. "What can I do?"

"This is not the first time we've had protesters." Tony says with a halfhearted shrug. "Remember when I stopped manufacturing weapons?"

Pepper's jaw tightens at the memory and she shakes her head. "It also won't be the last time Steve, just, maybe be a little more careful with what you post, please."

"Yes Ma'am."

Clint was giggling, which immediately drew all attention onto him, and in turn towards the television where what he was laughing at was playing out. A reporter had cornered Sam as he was leaving the grocery store.

"We're here with the Sam Wilson, Sam how does it feel to be dating a national icon?"

Sam threw his head back and barked out a laugh. "Cap would be so lucky as to date me."

"Are you confirming that you are not in fact dating Captain America?" The woman asked, a disappointed look in her face.

"First of all, I'm straight, support the LGBTQ Sisters, Brothers and all ya'll in between though." He looked directly into the camera as he said that, sending Clint into a second round of giggles. "Secondly No, we're not dating."

The reporter stuttered, and it gave Sam a chance to grab the microphone right out of her hand. "Thirdly, let the man kiss who he wants he's a hundred years old, damn guys!"

The reporter quickly grabbed the microphone and it cuts back to two anchors at a desk, and Clint is laughing so hard he's crying now.

Pepper lets out a very long sigh before looking at Natasha. "I need a drink."

"Got ya covered." Natasha replies, slipping off the couch and disappearing into the kitchen with Pepper, towards where she stores the good Russian vodka that Pepper has grown to love so much. 

"She'll fix this." Tony says quietly to Steve. 

"I know." Steve lets out a soft laugh, before stealing a quick kiss from Tony, for the first time on the common floor without the worry of being spotted. And that in itself is enough to take the tension out of Steve's shoulders and melt away the stress of the day entirely. "Do you want to go get some sleep?"

"Don't have to ask me twice." 

**00000**

"Tony please." Steve pleads out to the ceiling, letting his head fall back against the couch in the workshop. "Before I get even older and die."

"Jesus Rogers." Tony huffs, dropping his wrench onto the work table with a clank. "Can you just give a guy five minutes I told you-"

Steve doesn't let him finish. "It's been ten minutes." He says, looking down his nose and across the shop at the man. "I gave you ten when you asked for five, now please, get your ass -" he pats the cushion next to himself to make a point. "Here."

"Demanding." Tony laughs, but he doesn't argue, he can't, not when it comes to Steve. So instead he slides off his chair, to go towards where he had been beckoned too. "What do you need me over here for that's so important?"

"Pepper's lifted my social media ban." Steve grins, twisting his phone between his fingers, and sitting up straighter. "There's no better time than the present." He says as he twists his phone screen to his face, and his attention falling onto the screen.

"I'm sure she's going to regret not taking it away from you entirely." Tony muses, dropping himself down into the empty space beside his boyfriend. "I'm not really dressed for a photo right now though, babe-"

Steve would disagree, but that's because it didn't matter what Tony looked like, he always looked amazing. This time, he had an old T-shirt on, specifically put aside for work days in the shop, his jeans were dirty and ripped, and his hair was not styled, and just a soft natural mess on his head. It was one of Steve's top three looks for the man. 

"It's not a photo." Steve replies instead, angling the screen to fit them both in.

"I am going to need more coffee if you want to make a sex tape Steve." Tony teases, turning his head towards the phone. It's not until he finishes talking, and notices Steve's face color bright red, right before quickly covering his face with a hand that Tony realizes what's actually going on. "This is live, isn't it?"

A barrage of hearts and thumbs fill the screen with the occasional angry or sad face, a ton of comments shooting up the screen, and Tony just knows the blood is draining from his face, but then he laughs, because Steve is going to be in _so_ much trouble. "Oh Pepper is definitely regretting letting you have Instagram back."

Steve, though, holds the phone steady, dragging a hand down his face before he's laughing along. "She's the one that wanted me to let the public see the real me." He grins into the camera and quickly adds. "She brought this on herself."

"Remember that when she murders you." Tony says, though he drags his eyes to look at Steve, unable to help the smile on his lips. "Next time a little warning would be nice too, just so I could at least fix my hair."

"Your hair looks fine." Steve says, turning his attention to Tony. "I wanted to say something to you, and to the public, and I wanted to do it in a way that it wouldn't be misinterpreted or wrongly quoted."

"Fair." Tony shrugged, after the kissing Sam Wilson mishap, there had been a lot of hearsay about Steve Rogers, this seemed a bit extreme, but if here was one thing Tony had learned about Steve, it was that he rarely did things simply. "But why the surprise?"

"If I warned you, you probably would have told me it was a bad idea." Steve admitted, rightfully so. 

"Very reassuring." Tony smirked, before remembering about their audience, and turned his attention back to Steve's phone, which was still being held out in front of them. "Here you have it folks, proof that Steve Rogers is such a little shit, and I do sometimes have good ideas."

Steve laughed from beside him, also turning his attention back to the phone. "I'm just being the real me."

"Alright Cap." Tony sighed, watching the comments run up the screen, this was going to be a mess to clean, but he couldn't help but also feel a little pleased, a little validated, and completely head over heels in love with the idiot holding the phone. "What did you want to say."

"I wanted to say that I love you, and I have for gosh, a year now-" Steve turned his attention back to Tony, who couldn't help but meet the blue eyes with his own. "I've hidden a lot of myself from the people most important to me for a long time and I don't want to do that anymore. You accepted me, you've loved me and cared for me, and fuck the people that think you are somehow a bad influence over me - I fought in the war, I grew up in Brooklyn for Christs sake, Tony Stark is amazing, and I'm the lucky one who gets to call him my boyfriend, and I'm done with hidin"

Tony's eyebrows raise, and his heart feels like it's about to burst out of his chest, and all he can manage is a meek. "I love you too."

Steve's already continuing. "I am Steve Rogers, I am in a loving relationship with Tony Stark, and-" he levels a look at his phone. "I am Captain America, I stand for all American's, not just the straight ones, I defended this country, still do. I fought for freedoms, and I continue to protect the earth where I can and how I can. If you don't like it, well.. too bad for you."

"I love you." Tony repeats, just like a proud boyfriend should. He leans in and catches Steve in a very soft kiss. "You know Pep's probably in the elevator right now, right?"

"I guess I should wrap this up then." Steve laughs, leaning in for another quick peck before looking back at his screen. It's going crazy, so many comments and reactions coming through that Steve can't even keep up with them. It's fine though, it doesn't matter. "All I'm trying to say is that I won't pretend to be someone I'm not anymore. You guys follow the account to see who I really am, so. This is it. This is me."

"You guys have no idea how good he is at these speech things." Tony says with a smirk into the camera. "Anything else Cap?"

"Yeah." Steve says with a nod. "If one more of you make a derogatory comment on any more photos of Natasha I will personally-"

"Say goodnight Steve!" Tony shouts, with a laugh, ripping the phone out of Steve's hand to end the stream before Captain America threatens half a million people in real time. 

"She's going to murder you." Tony sing songs out as he makes sure the stream is done and closed before handing back Steve's phone, just in time for the elevator to come to the floor with a ding, and the doors to slide open revealing Pepper.

**00000**

Later that night, Tony posts a photo on his Instagram. It's a selfie of himself and Steve, its an older photo, taken a few months ago. It's nothing special, they're on the common floor on the couch. It was a movie night, the team had settled around the room, to watch some random action flick of Clint's choosing.

Beyond what was framed, Tony knew there was blankets and chip bags strewn about, and the rest of the team at their most comfortable. He could still see it in his head, Natasha sprawled out over an entire arm chair, legs dangling over the edge of one arm. Clint wrapped up in blankets and pillows on the floor in front of her. Thor would be on the other end of the couch, a plate carefully balanced on his lap overfilled with pizza, and chips, and other snacks to get him through the 90 minute film.

Bruce cautiously sitting beside him, hands wrapped around a steaming mug that smelled of mint and berries, glasses pushed up into his hair, intently watching the screen even if he'd never admit to enjoying the adrenaline filled movies. 

And then Steve, precious Steve tucked up against the other arm of the couch, ankles crossed out in front of himself, always open to watching anything new, genuinely appreciating the camera work, and the color on the screen. Occasionally calling out moves that just wouldn't be physically possible, even for him - but nevertheless, having a good time.

The seat beside him, always saved for Tony. Tony who really only started showing up to these things to sit beside Steve, Tony who only ever made popcorn for a chance to share it with Steve - it was so pathetic - but entirely worth it. 

This night, saved forever in a selfie, was the first night Tony realized that what he felt for Steve was a lot more than admiration and sexual attraction. It was a photo of the night he realized he actually loved Steve Rogers. And also realized how too chicken shit he was to actually do anything about it.

Steve had rolled his eyes when Tony asked for a picture, but turned his head towards Tony's phone still and offered a wide smile. Tony, tilted his chin up, and tried for his usual blue steel - which only caused Steve to laugh.

There captured in a moment was Steve, the corners of his eyes crinkled, mid-laugh, so honest and beautiful, with Tony, smirking next to him, trying to look cool, but ultimately failing. It was written all over his face, anyone who knew Tony Stark would be able to tell in that moment. The way he looked at Steve, the way his smirk wasn't so much a smirk as it was pure love radiating from him. All for Steve.

Tony looked down at the filters, deciding it best not to use one at all, before he glanced back at the man sleeping next to him. He had held on to this photo for months, waiting for the perfect day to post it, and well, there's no time like the present.

**"Love makes you do foolish things, like debauch a national icon, or, you know, Instagram live. You'll learn to forgive us. TS"**

_**Liked by VPPotts and Millions of others** _


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